Other Solitudes: Canadian Multicultural Fictions

Anne Savoie is a youth counsellor in Anjou, Quebec.

This collection of short stories deals with the immigrant experience in
Canada. The authors themselves are immigrants, or the children or
grandchildren of immigrants. At the end of each story, there is an
interview with its author concerning multiculturalism, his/her
perspective on different ethnic groups in Canadian society, and his/her
experience as an ethnic Canadian. Also included are interviews with
three authors whose stories are not included: Tomson Highway, Jacques
Godbout, and Robertson Davies.

The stories reveal the prejudices and hardships the immigrants
encountered in Canada, both from Canadians and from their own people.
(For example, in “A Proper Goodbye,” a Greek woman’s husband does
not permit her to learn English, to learn to be independent, or to be
able to live on her own in Canada.) The stories offer the views of the
immigrants themselves: how they perceived Canadians, how they were
treated by Canadians, and how they built a new life in Canada.

The stories come from various parts of the world: Iceland, Greece,
Turkey, South America, China, Japan, and so on. The Jewish experience in
Canada is also included. They are set in various Canadian cities. They
are quite realistic, provide a good read, and introduce readers to many
wonderful Canadian writers. At the end of the book is the Canadian
Multiculturalism Act.

This book is definitely worth reading and will certainly find its way
to many Canadian bookshelves and classrooms.